The purple color looks scary, but the shake actually tastes really good!

From her 3-day detox diet (which is awesome, by the way! I lost 7 lbs. I loved it so much I ran out the day after and bought her “Your Inner Skinny” book.)

This shake is 3/4 cup almond milk, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop of Hammer Soy Protein powder, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup raspberries, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.

—

Time with some of my girls:

Love these girls!

Had the nieces over for the weekend last weekend and we had a blast! Mia and Sadie are adorable. Mia is just like I was as a child, and Sadie is just like Jenny. Looks like her and everything. In fact, sometimes when I see Sadie I forget that I’m not the 5-year-old sister looking at her. I can’t wait till Cai and Caleb and Chloe are old enough to join in our movie / ice cream sundae / slumber party weekends!

—

Dog love:

Kishin loves Breanna

This is a horrible picture, and I had to lighten it a ton just to get Kishin’s features to show, but as I was working last week I looked up and this is what I saw. I love how Kishin is only happy when he’s near me or Breanna. He will follow her to the end of the earth. They make working so much better!

—

Coffee!

Cafe au lait

After 3 days on the detox diet and only being allowed 3 cups of black coffee during that time, I was excited to meet Sara for coffee at Caribou on East on Saturday. While I waited for her I snapped this picture, thinking about what a great gift Amy got me when she picked out that coffee sleeve. It has seen a lot of cups of coffee! It may be one of my most-used gifts. Love it!

—

Shopping love:

kick-ass fan

Ok, this photo was actually taken a few weeks ago. But this weekend I stopped by Metro where they had lots of fun lighting fixtures. This fan is one Anil and I picked out for his living room, and Metro had a similar one (different brand.) I think it’s one of the coolest fans I’ve ever seen!

You know the saying, “rain, sleet, gloom of night,” etc? It doesn’t just apply to the postal service. It also applies to the newspaper industry.

So for 7 winters, during my time at the paper, every time there was a threat of snow, or actual snow, I was scared. I don’t feel safe driving in the stuff. But I had to. I literally took 3 hours to get to work one time, driving at a snail’s pace what should have been a 30-minute drive.

And it was really hard, hearing everyone else in the area talk about how excited they were to have their days off of work. Knowing they weren’t thinking about me or the countless other people who go to work anyway – not always because they choose to, but because they have to.

We were going to work because we believed you deserved to have your newspaper on your front door every morning. Every morning. Not just snow days, but on Christmas Day and on Easter and on the Fourth of July. (The paper is done the night before, so technically I should be telling you about how you deserve to have your paper on the Day after Christmas, the Day after Easter, and the Fifth of July.) I spent many good moments with coworkers, and they were fabulous coworkers, but it was tough to be away from my family and friends.

And it’s not just newspaper folks. There are other people who do far more important jobs that have to be out in all types of weather. Police officers, firefighters, doctors and nurses and other hospital staff.

On my sixth winter at the paper, I was driving home that night (yes, we didn’t even get to leave work until after the sun went down and the roads were frozen over). I was driving at the grandma pace that I’d decided would get me there the safest. I creeped up to Marvin Road to get in the left turn lane off of 521. I was in the left turn lane, and then slowly but surely, I wasn’t. My car had slipped on some ice and decided to do a 180 and end up on the opposite side of the street on 521. There were cars coming, but thank God they were coming slowly. I was safe, but shaken. It was then I decided I would never drive to work in weather I wasn’t comfortable driving in again. “It’s not worth my life,” I decided. I figured they could fire me next year if they needed to, but I sure wasn’t driving.

Luckily, the seventh winter there was no snow so I didn’t have to test that theory. And after that I started my own business and now my snow days are no different from my other days.

I’m not asking you not to enjoy snow days. I will love the time today with my dogs playing in the snow!

 But what I am asking is that you think of all the people whose jobs just became exponentially more dangerous now that they have to get out in the icy conditions, most likely in an attempt to make your world a little better/safer/more informed. And while you’re at it, maybe consider renewing that newspaper subscription? Ok, ok, but I had to try.

Ok, downer over. Snowball fight!

Breanna in 2001 (about 9 months old.)

Ten years ago yesterday, a little beagle-mix mutt was born. Well, maybe. I don’t actually know her real birthday, but it was 8 weeks from that day that I decided to adopt her, so January 6 was the birthday I gave her.

Ten years ago I was sharing a 2-bedroom apartment with Shannon. Both of us were recent college graduates, trying to find that place between college students and real-world adults. And I wanted a dog something fierce.

I grew up with dogs; my parents always had one or two around, usually 2. I’d been without dogs for the 4 years I was in college and to me, it was a sign that I was an actual adult. And I couldn’t wait to have a cuddly sidekick.

Shannon and I didn’t exactly decide to get a dog for sure that day; we only wanted to go look. Just to see what the rescue group had to offer. Just to see.

Uhm, yeah. Don’t do that unless you mean it. I’m surprised we didn’t adopt 4 or 5 dogs that day. We wanted each and every one of them.

I knew Breanna was going home with me when I picked her up and she literally wrapped her little paws around my neck and hugged me. She was shaking and scared, and she needed me.  

$70 later, and I had a micro-chipped 8-week-old puppy. And nothing else. No food. No crate. No toys. Shannon and I drove straight from the rescue group to PetSmart, where we filled up a cart with all the necessities, and where we learned Breanna was scared of carts.

She was scared of a lot of things back then – Leashes. Crates. Vacuum cleaners. Baths. Ear cleaner (it took me, Shannon and Mark all holding her down the first time).

We both had a lot to learn. I thought I knew what it took to raise a dog, having been around them my whole life. But I’d never had a beagle and I didn’t know about the barking, or the howling, or the crying, or how to get her to just shut up already. (Ten years later, and I still don’t know.) I didn’t know how to keep her from throwing up underneath the couch (I figured it out – you wait until she grows too big to fit under the couch.) I didn’t know how to trim her nails, how to get her on a good sleep schedule, how to keep her from diving into the floor of the car while I was driving.

Breanna trying to eat bubbles in 2001.

And together, we learned it all. It was not easy. There were many times I considered just bringing her back to the rescue group. But I never did it, and one day I woke up and realized she’d grown from annoying puppy to just about the best dog I could ever ask for.

She endured when my parents’ dog Tiffany came to live with me and her.

Tiffany and Breanna, 2001

She even endured when Jeff and I adopted Kishin from the Humane Society.

May 2002 - Kishin's first day

May 2002 - Kishin's first day

As an adult, she still talks too much, and she definitely expects everything to be about her – if you’re not giving her attention, that just doesn’t work for her. But she’s the best cuddler I know and she listens and does what I tell her. And she’s an awesome hiking partner.  And running partner. And most of the time she’s pretty nice to Kishin.

Kishin adores Breanna, and she Breanna puts up with Kishin. Them in 2004.

The dogs in 2006. Best running partners ever!

And 10 years later, I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. And I wouldn’t take back a minute of it.

Breanna yesterday, on her 10th birthday

I see myself in my oldest niece, Mia. When her 2-year-old sister Sadie is having any kinds of fun with anything, Mia wants to be a part of it. And by a part of it I mean take over it. The reverse is almost true – when Mia is having fun, Sadie wants to be a part of it. The difference is that Sadie always suggests it’s “my turn” – she’s more than willing to share in the fun, not steal it away.

Kevin posted this status update on Facebook yesterday: “My 2-year-old, Sadie, has proven herself a cookie thief. When asked what happened to the dozen or so cookies that were on the counter, she replied, ‘I ate them.’”

I was cracking up laughing when I read that. Sadie really knows how to put down the food! How did a body that small manage to hide a dozen cookies anyway?

I asked Anil if he read the status and he started laughing and said his niece Anika also eats a lot. Anika has an older sister … Sadie has an older sister … I thought about Jenny, my younger sister, and she could totally pack the food away when we were kids. In her defense, she was playing all kinds of sports so her metabolism was at full throttle all the time – no wonder she could eat so much and stay so skinny!

Anil and I wondered if eating a lot is a second-child trait. “Eat it fast before big sis steals it” kind of mentality. What do you think?

I couldn’t help but think of my dogs. I originally thought of Breanna, the oldest dog, because she will eat literally anything you put in front of her. In fact, one day when she was a puppy I caught her inside of the dog food bag. The only thing sticking out was a wagging tail. I’m kinda thinking she would have eaten the whole thing if I hadn’t stopped her.

But then I thought of Kishin, the younger dog. He’s not food-obsessed the way Breanna is. But when they are eating their meals side-by-side, he wolfs it down. To the point of sometimes I worry he will choke if I don’t slow him down! But when he’s eating alone, he’s a very calm eater. I’m sure he eats fast so she won’t try to steal his food.

In big-sister mentality, for the record, when Breanna finishes her food she stands near Kishin’s bowl and growls at him while he eats. He’s about twice her size and the only way she’s getting that food is if he lets her have it, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.

My nephew Cai is getting a little brother in March. I wonder how much Cai Junior will eat??

Or at least, that’s what I thought I was waking up to. I’m visiting Chris in Athens, and I woke up to him screaming. I sat straight up and went instantly into fight mode. I think my arms were even in punch position. My heart was pounding.

Turns out, he was yelling at his cat to stop scratching.

To which I told him in not-so-nice words that it’s not very kind to attempt to give his guests heart attacks. And then I lay awake until I heard the alarm go off, hours later. Too freaked out to sleep.

This morning I promptly started doing Google searches in order to prove to him that yelling at his cat will not keep him from scratching. And oddly enough, I found lots of tips. Not one of which was “scream bloody murder at him.”

—

But I do empathize. I remember being straight out of college, working a job that brought me home at 1 a.m., and the only one awake to greet me was Breanna, my puppy.

And as much as I loved her, I hated the barking and the biting furniture and biting me and eating anything in sight just to throw it up on the living room carpet later.

There were even moments I pondered taking her right back to the rescue group where I got her. I would have just been a foster mom for a few months, I would reason in my head, and that’ s not a bad thing, right? And on some occasions she was annoying enough that the only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that more people adopted puppies. If I took her back after the cute puppy stage, I’d be cheating her chances of a home.

So I hung in there. And when she was 2 years old, I was even able to get her a fenced-in yard. All my problems would be solved! Except it was then I discovered she could scale any fence, any height. Let’s just say my neighbors got to know her really well. Some of them loved her – she’d climb into their yard and walk right into their kitchen, where they would entertain her for dinner. Some of them hated her – I had her shoved into my arms a few times by an annoyed neighbor with an angry look on her face (although, Breanna always came home from there with a rawhide – no wonder she kept going back!) I invested in an invisible fence (okay, invested is the wrong word. I happily accepted my parents’ hand-me-down invisible fence. Then again, along with their fence came their dog, Tiffany. No such thing as a free lunch! For the record, I’m not complaining. Tiffany was an angel. Especially compared to Breanna.)

Then when the complaints started coming in about Breanna’s high-pitched, annoying, howl-like barking (did I mention she’s a beagle mix?), I invested in a barker collar.

Wondered if I could remember the address of that rescue group on several occasions …

And then amazingly, slowly, almost without me noticing, she grew up. And now, 9 years later, I’m so glad she and I have made it this far. She still has a horribly annoying bark, but she uses it less. And she hasn’t tried to scale a fence in years (then again, she still has the invisible fence collar.) And I’m so glad I lost that address to the rescue group. Partially because I know no one else would ever love her like I do. But mostly because she’s an amazing cuddler and she has my heart.

She even likes to go hiking with me ...

—

And last night, I was wishing she was there to help me fight off the intruder.

P.S. Yes, I have 2 dogs. Kishin was just never as frustrating as a puppy, so I have very few complaints about him regarding that …

I know I’m preaching to the choir here – no one who reads this blog would even think of doing anything like that (you probably know you could just drop them at my front door.)

It’s just so horrible to see how people treat animals. I understand economic times are tough and dogs are not cheap – but to just abandon them is inexcusable.

I once saw two kittens get abandoned. I was sitting in my room, when I was in middle school, and I lived at the end of a cul-de-sac with a field across the street. I saw a car pull up and a person get out and walk to the middle of the field, place something down, then walk off.  I watched them drive away and then I saw two things moving in the grass. Oh, I wish I’d seen that earlier and would have thought to get their license plate number. Jenny and I went to investigate, and there were two adorable kittens in the field. Our neighbor, named Jennie, had just had her pet cat die a few days before, so we went to ask her if she wanted them. She took them both, and they lived happily up the street from us for years.

Jeff found an abandoned dog by a dumpster years ago. From what he tells me, she was super skinny and starving when he brought her home – a fact I found hard to believe because when I met Penny, years later, she was fat and happy and loved by his dad and stepmom.

These are the stories with good endings. And I know the puppies found in the dumpster will be ok – people will see them on TV and snatch them up. But what about all the other dogs that need homes? I know shelters are euthanizing dogs all the time. The news story said the Humane Society almost had to turn away the dumpster puppies because they are at a lack of funding. These are hard times, friends.

Both of my dogs came from adoption groups – one from Recycled Pets in Rock Hill and the other from the Humane Society of York County. If I could handle any more dogs I’d adopt them in a heartbeat. I think about the day I adopted Breanna, at Recycled Pets. My roommate Shannon and I went to just “see” if any of the dogs called out to us. What a stupid idea – all of the dogs called out to us! There were tears in Shannon’s eyes when one of the older dogs snuggled up to her and she had to put her back in her crate. I knew Breanna was mine when I picked her up and she wrapped her little puppy arms around my neck and literally hugged me. She had a sister from the same litter, and I wasn’t ready for two dogs, so I had to just take Breanna. Over the years I have wondered what happened to her sister.

Nine years later, and she still has my heart every time she snuggles up to me. She is the best snuggler I know.

(this photo was taken with my iPhone the other night when she refused to lay next to me until I gave her her own blanket! Her dog bed was in the wash after Kishin threw up on it.)

Adopt if you can. Volunteer if you can’t. Donate money if you can. Anything to keep these puppies out of dumpsters.

So, as I have mentioned before, my dogs are inside dogs but they have not been for very long. Everything is going great with them – the dog hair is under control, thanks to the Roomba vacuum. They have rules that they follow, like no going in the bedrooms and no getting on the furniture and no going upstairs without a human supervisor. Breanna thinks rules are made to be broken, and I found her laying on the couch once when I left her alone for 2 minutes to take Kishin out. She also was sneaking upstairs in the middle of the night until we added a baby gate at the landing. Problem solved!

The other day, however, there was a little doggie incident that needed dealing with. And when I say little doggie incident, I mean big doggie incident. About 5 minutes after eating, Kishin barfed up all of his food, all over the living room floor. And then he took a few steps toward me, but he only made it to the other side of the couch before he barfed again. And then a few more steps, and again (this time on the tile, thank goodness.) Jess and I were standing in the kitchen and saw the whole thing happen – poor guy looked embarrassed, sick, and miserable. I hugged him and assured him he wasn’t in trouble, but when his bowels decided to get involved on the kitchen floor, it was time to ban the sick doggie to outside for a little bit.

Hope that wasn’t too graphic for you. I cleaned up the mess the best I could, but lets just say this was the worst case of throw-up I’ve ever seen, in a dog or a human or otherwise. I sprayed some stain remover on the floor after getting the solid pieces up, which I knew would do no good but I figured it wouldn’t hurt.

So, then it was time to find a decent carpet cleaner to come out and try to fix this mess. I saw a Stanley Steemer commercial – 3 rooms for $109, but I wanted to use a small local business if possible. Thought about searching Google to see who was recommended, but thought I’d try Twitter and Facebook first. I’m glad I did! Here’s what I got:

The people Amy’s dad recommended were in Rock Hill, and I had no idea if they would come out to my house. But I wanted to try – I’m all about recommendations. I did, and a very nice guy named Kevin called me back to tell me he would be happy to come out. He would charge $25 per room, so I figured I’d get almost a room and a half “free” compared to the Stanley Steemer price. Sold!

He said he’d come out around 3:30 after a prior job; I told him I was flexible so to come whenever he wanted. Even still, he called at 3:20 to let me know he was running late. Not necessary, but very nice and professional.

Meantime, I spent the day moving furniture all by myself. Who moved the dining room table? That’d be me. Sectional? Me. Heavy CD cabinet? Me. That was my unintentional strength training day!

So, here’s a look at the carpet before Kevin got there: (you can see the 2 sets of puppy puke but I don’t think it’s too awful to look at. Still, be careful if you have a weak stomach)

And here’s some of the heavy furniture I moved:

I also decided to get the dining room carpets cleaned:

In addition, I would have him clean the staircase, the upstairs hallway, my office and Jeff’s office – but his office only if Kevin thought he could get out the stain that was left from some furniture feet.

Kevin arrived and I was instantly struck by how nice he was. When I showed him the dog incident, his first reaction was, “Oh no! What’s wrong with your dog?” For the record, I don’t know what was wrong with him. He is fine now, though. He was running around in the yard about 30 minutes later as if nothing had happened. I have heard of dogs getting doggie flu or contagious stomach viruses (contagious to other dogs, not people) and I kept my eye on Breanna but she seemed fine.

Then Kevin took a look at Jeff’s office, the room I was unsure about. He said, “I’ll try to get it out and if it doesn’t work I won’t charge you.” Sounds good to me.

He was very nice the whole time he was here – making conversation about the black and white photography in the hallway – turns out his wife is a photographer, so I gave him my card in case she needs any graphic design – and asking about what kind of dog Kishin is (he’s a doberman and border collie), to which he said, “That is a BIG dog!”

He did give me this tip, which Jess had also told me: If you put stain remover on the carpet and the stain does not come up, sometimes the remover sets it in. I would have been better off not putting anything down, considering there was no way I was going to get it out. He was upfront in that he didn’t know if he could get it all up (I’m telling you, folks, that was some bad stuff. That picture does not do it justice.)

He finished, told me he could not get the furniture rings up from Jeff’s office, so he only charged me for 5 areas, and apparently the hallway was only $20! So $120 for 6 rooms. After he left I peeked in Jeff’s office, assuming he had just tried to spot clean that area, but no – he actually cleaned the whole room – for free.

In addition, he told me that when the carpet dries it’s possible some spots will reappear. If that happens, to give him a call back and he’ll come treat it again for free!

Here’s the living room now:

Much better! Still a discoloration where the puke was, but much, much better. I will call these guys back anytime. And it shows the power of Facebook and Twitter, once again, and that word of mouth is key! Speaking of, if you need your carpets cleaned, their number is (803) 366-8513. Tell Kevin I sent you!

]]> http://melissaoh.com/2009/11/puking-puppies-good-referrals-happy-home/feed/ 5 http://melissaoh.com/2009/07/what-ive-been-doing-since-ive-not-been-blogging/ http://melissaoh.com/2009/07/what-ive-been-doing-since-ive-not-been-blogging/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:13:33 +0000 Melissa http://melissaoh.com/?p=1541 I wondered why I spent the first part of the week sleeping (and not blogging) but when I look back on my weekend I really should not wonder at all. I’m not 21 anymore, after all …

Thursday night/Friday morning

Chris came to town on Thursday evening and he and Jeff and I went for a late dinner at the new Big View Diner on 521 and Audrey Kell. If you haven’t tried it, it’s worth it. It’s not a “diner” really, more of a restaurant with a kick-ass bakery counter and a sports bar. Chris said it was the best blue cheeseburger he’d ever had, and I fell in love with the chocolate cheesecake. Yum. Good thing we were running a Miles for Marines 15K the next day to burn off those calories …

I’ve sort of given up on the idea of going to bed early the night before a race. If I try, it just stresses me out and I toss and turn all night and kick myself for not being able to fall asleep. So I figure, I’ll do my thing, go to bed when I can, and just plan to nap the next day. We got back to the house around midnight, put in Chasing Amy (Chris had never seen it!), and chilled out in front of the TV. At 5:30 a.m. when I got up to pee and realized I’d barely even dozed off by then, I was a little concerned, but what do you do?

The alarm went off at 6:10 and I was pretty much awake at that point. We had a cup of coffee and headed over to Kevin’s. I realized the night before that I was out of energy gel, which I like to carry with me on long runs, and thank goodness Kevin has a supply at his house. We fueled up at his house – I carried his Nathan’s belt and let Chris carry my Amphipod so I could test out the Nathan’s. Got some Hammer Gel (Apple cinnamon, which is way too sweet for me but it’s less thick and easier to eat than the espresso flavor). I was excited to be running my longest race ever.

Kevin, Mia, Chris and I headed out to the race, at Westminster Park in Rock Hill. When we got there I noticed something huge missing: Race numbers. And race packets. And anything really resembling a race, such as a start/finish line … Hmm.

Turns out this wasn’t a “race” so much as a “run.” The web site had billed it as a run/walk, so I suppose that’s my fault, but it was listed with all the other races so I was not too thrilled that they didn’t spell it out in the description. Another thing not spelled out was the fact that it was a trail run – in the woods. I had no idea. Glad I wasn’t wearing brand-new clean shoes.

Chris and I decided to “race” together this time – a sacrifice on his part because I’m sure he could have beat me. Lemme tell you, I was really glad to have him there – there’s a mental challenge involved when you’re running over roots and mud puddles and rocks, and it’s super-nice to have a teammate. We only separated once – he made a pit stop at a port-a-potty and I kept going, knowing he would easily catch me, which he did. I also ran past two of my former Herald colleagues covering the run, so that was a pleasant surprise. I called out hellos as I passed them – even if this wasn’t a timed race, I was still racing against my Garmin!

At one point the trail was not well-marked so we went the wrong way. Not just us – an entire group of us. So I’m not really sure how far we actually ran – my Garmin didn’t match the mile markers either, and I’m not sure if it was them that was off or if all the woods running threw the GPS off. It’s frustrating when paths aren’t clearly marked and volunteers aren’t really volunteering information (saw a LOT of bored pre-teens being not-that-helpful.)

As I saw Andrew Dys the reporter, my mind wandered into the stories he writes – the kind of stories that really touch your soul. I started thinking about the types of interview he must be getting for the run – about why people were there. I thought about the Marines we were running for (the run benefits the Injured Marines Semper Fi fund). I thought about my brother-in-law, Gray, serving his country in Iraq right now, and his wife, Katie, who is  patiently awaiting his return home. I thought about the 15K march the Marines do at the end of their time as recruits, called The Crucible. I thought about how everyone running was probably thinking about somebody else. Chris’ family is Army but his dad and brother have recently served or are serving in Iraq as well, and we were running for them. I am not surprised in the least, that Andrew’s story did not disappoint.

The thing about a trail run is that I spent so much time focusing on not injuring myself that I barely had time to decide whether it was physically challenging or not. I ran much slower than normal, about 11:25 minute miles, and my heart rate stayed a lot lower than the 10K I did with Kevin last month, but my watch told me I burned 965 calories. Not a bad thing to do before breakfast! Chris and I crossed the finish line 1:42:35 later, then we all went to IHOP for breakfast (Jeff had joined us by then.) Kevin posted pictures on his blog if you want to check them out.

Friday evening/Saturday morning

After a nap (told you!) we packed up our packs and headed to the Anne Springs Close Greenway campsite Kevin had reserved. He was running an off-road triathlon on Saturday morning and he had the idea to camp out the night before. It was a relaxing evening in front of the fire, drinking some beers and watching the moon over the lake he would be racing in the next morning. I was planning to use my brand-new bivy sack for the first time and right as I got the courage to stick my toe inside of it, Chris came running out of the woods talking about glowing eyes looking at him … oh heck no. Turned out to be a cat, but still. I got in the bivy anyway, lasted about 5 minutes, then got up for another beer before I retreated to the tent. I’ll try again next time.

The great thing about camping with critters in the summer is if you can bring along your own critters. Kishin the dog stayed awake all night keeping watch over me – when I was in the bivy he was standing over me, and when I was in the tent he was laying right beside my head, alert all night long. I love the heck out of him.

The next morning we got up in time to get the camera out of the car, hit the bathrooms, and head down to the lake to watch the first leg of the triathlon, the 500m swim. It was the first one I’d ever been to, and it was really fun to watch! The swimmers all looked so exhausted after they came out of the water. I felt so bad for them, knowing they had only just begun … We cheered Kevin on as he came out and ran up to get his bike. Then we headed back to the campsite to have coffee and pack up while Kevin huffed it out over 12.5 miles of trail.

Jenn and Mia showed up and Jenn suggested we find the part of the race where the biking ends and the running begins. We sat on the hill and watched the cyclists come in. The funny part was when two guys that didn’t seem like the others (wearing cotton instead of tech tees or other race materials) biked through and said “We’re not racing! We’re trying to get home!” I was amazed at what they had to do during the transition. It was hard to see everything from where I was sitting but I would imagine a lot of stress would lie in transferring from bike shoes to running shoes, trading helmets for water belts or whatever they wanted to run with …

We cheered Kevin in as he biked to the transition area then headed off for his 3.1 mile run. Wow, that’s a race in and of itself. The highlight of him crossing the finish line was his 2-year-old daughter Mia getting her pom-poms ready. The crowd around her went wild. “That’s her daddy she’s cheering in!” someone said and they all cheered with her. What great energy!

Saturday night

Amy, a friend of mine and Chris’ (not to be confused with lifelong friend Amy) came to town from Chapel Hill and we headed up to the Epicenter via light rail. We decided to hit Wild Wing for dinner, a spot I would never normally take her since it’s a chain and she could get it in other cities (such as Athens, where she just moved from) but we were looking for cheap and somewhat inexpensive. Thank goodness I decided to order a beer and thank goodness the waitress decided to card me, because it was then I realized I’d left my ID at home. Doh! We would never be able to get into Howl at the Moon as we’d planned, or any other clubs, without my ID. Jeff was a trooper and went home to get it, and I enjoyed water with my dinner while I waited. Amy and Colleen ended up going to Howl at the Moon before Jeff got back to secure us a table, and Chris and I wanted wandered through uptown and caught the fireworks and grabbed an espresso. The espresso was worth it; the fireworks were not.

Howl at the Moon was a bit disappointing at first; people seemed to be requesting slower songs, more meant for crying your eyes out after a breakup and not partying on the Fourth of July. Later in the night, though, it was on … and the guy performers were hilarious, as they should be at a dueling piano bar. We partied till last call then headed to Melissa and Phil’s for another all-night-dance party. I swear I get a better cardio workout there than I do on my runs! Too bad all the beer I drank canceled it out …

So that’s where I’ve been

Have been spending the rest of the week sleeping, catching up on work, and running a couple of times. In the news of upcoming events:

- My sister’s baby boy is due July 23. For that reason, I have cleared my schedule starting, oh, now – so that I can be with Jenny and Chuck as soon as baby Cai is born!
- Marathon training starts next month! Wow, can’t believe it’s this soon. I’m excited and terrified all at the same time!
- Let’s see, what else … oh wait, after the “marathon training starts” bit, there’s no room for anything else!

There have been very few issues, actually. One little bathroom mishap the first time I let the dogs in my home office, but I made sure to spray all kinds of pet carpet cleaner on it so they wouldn’t “learn” the scent and think it could happen again.

Other than that:

Kishin watches me watch TV

= Kishin (the doberman/border collie mix) seems to have claimed me as “his” human. This happened when they were outside dogs as well, but he follows me absolutely everywhere. In fact, this morning I was organizing a closet and watched him run past me 4 times, panicking, looking for me, until he finally found me in the unlikely spot. This seems to make Breanna (the beagle/daschund/shepherd/whatever she is mix) uncomfortable,  so she hangs back a lot. This makes me feel guilty, and I try to “make” us all hang out together. It’s worked a few times but for the most part she runs off every chance she gets. One time Kishin chased her down in a not-so-nice way, but he didn’t do anything but stand there once he “caught” her.

= The neighborhood dogs off their leashes have got to stop. I walk these guys several times a day now (on leashes of course) and the amount of loose dogs I have seen is uncalled for. And everyone seems to think their dog will listen – that is, until their dog goes running down the street after my dog. I have to walk my dogs one at a time because of this. I could handle them both at the same time if we were only dealing with fenced-in dogs (which Kishin ignores and Breanna howls at, but only if they bark first). But I can’t control them both if an unleashed dog is approaching them. Shoot, I can’t control Kishin even by himself if an unleashed dog is in the “leash space.” The kicker this week was when the 15lb dog with an apparent death wish ran down his driveway and tried to attack Kishin (80 lbs) from behind. Not cool, dog owners. I put myself between them and yelled at the little dog’s owners to get their dog. I’m sure they think I’m a bitch (pun intended) but I’d rather them think that and save the poor little dog’s life.

= Both the dogs snore. They both bark in their sleep. They both do this cute little twitchy REM sleep thing. Not nearly as bad as this dog, but you get the point. Kishin even growled at and tried to attack a blanket in his sleep/half sleep stance the other night. It was slightly scary and very funny all at the same time.

= I never thought I’d say this, but very rarely and for just a few minutes at a time – sometimes I feel like I need time away from the dogs. With Kishin especially right next to me at all times, occasionally I’ll feel the need for some breathing room. But it never lasts more than a few minutes before I start missing them again.

= They need to be bathed frequently. At least once a week. They need to be brushed all the time, and still, the dog hair is everywhere. The robot vaccuum is doing a great job with the daily maintenance, and I’m about to do my first Dyson vaccuum since getting the Roomba – I’m curious how much it will pick up that the Roomba left behind.

= I absolutely love watching their reactions to new things. I was doing a workout-on-demand in front of the TV the other day and Breanna came running over to me, trying to lick my face as I’m doing crunches, wagging her tail and so excited for some reason. Let’s just say that set of crunches probably didn’t count for much: I couldn’t stop laughing. Kishin loves to watch TV, and he especially likes the howling wolf at the end of “Law and Order” reruns.

A week and a half later, and I’m still the happiest girl ever with my dogs beside me. Even if I do have to walk them in the rain.

I took my other dog with me for this run; I haven’t been taking them lately but now that they are inside dogs they need to exercise! I tried a new loop – most of which I had run before but not ever all at once. I ended up walking a lot of it for various reasons (trying to make sure I don’t injure it anything ahead of my 10K on Saturday, plus Kishin looked tired so I didn’t want to push it.) By the time I was on the last 2 miles (it was a 6.85 mile loop), there were streams of cars out. I can’t win. I can’t go early enough to avoid traffic and not be running in darkness. I don’t want to run circles around my neighborhood just because there are no sidewalks. The middle of the day seems to work fine but it’s just too darn hot during the summer months.

At one point Kishin and I were walking on Marvin School Road, and a pickup pulled out of a neighborhood. He was driving recklessly fast in order to cut off the car driving down Marvin School. It was obvious he didn’t see me or the big black dog. I panicked and yanked Kishin’s leash toward the grass, but before I could get both of us safely off the road, he was already barreling down on us. I never saw his face (or hers, I suppose; I imagine it was a him in the F-150 – F250 – whatever it was with writing on the side), but he must’ve seen us at the last minute because he swerved wildly in order to avoid hitting us.

Truthfully I was more worried about Kishin then myself. I have this fear of us getting into an accident and the ambulance comes and takes me away – but who would take time to get him to the emergency vet? Luckily, we turned out just fine and the greatest physical impact was a pounding heart and shaky hands. It angers me, though. I’m angry at Union County for not seeing the need for sidewalks and bike lanes out here in the suburbs. I’m angry at drivers who don’t understand the need to share the road. I’m angry at myself for not playing it safe and running in circles in my neighborhood (come on, folks, that’s boring!)

I posted my experience on Facebook and Twitter and Justin responded with: “More people should run, walk or cycle, if only to see the road from another perspective. Drivers rarely think there’s anyone other than other cars out there.” It’s so true, too. Ever since I started running these roads I have become more cautious as a driver. I told Justin: “I see the road so differently now that I’ve run it. I take curves more slowly in areas I know a lot of cyclists frequent. I swerve really wide to avoid runners or cyclists – no reason to give anyone a heart attack! And I go especially slow around people with dogs – animals are so unpredictable.”

I hate having to run on the side of the road, where the roadkill finds its final resting place and the county doesn’t mow nearly enough. I hate that I run unbalanced with my dog because I have to pull him to the left or else he’ll run right where the traffic should be. Sidewalks would make everything easier.

To add insult to injury, my computer gave me some sort of Java error when I tried to upload my run from my Garmin Forerunner 405 to the web site. Somehow the run didn’t upload, but it did erase it off of my watch. I was really curious to see the map of this new route, too. What a day.

In happy running news, however, I have my first 10K of the year on Saturday in River Hills (anyone who is familiar with River Hills is saying “Is she crazy?” right about now. It’s not named Hills for no reason …) Kevin and I are both running, and Jeff and Jenn and my nieces and my uncle and my 93-year-old grandmother are coming out to watch. It’s my grandmother’s first race! I joked that I was going to try to beat Kevin but I have a feeling those days are over. Unless I trip him at the finish line. If I can catch him.

Update: Kevin said his Garmin did the same thing yesterday, and he sent me this fix:

Manual Upload for Vista users:

1. Confirm that you have installed the Garmin ANT Agent™.
2. Go to the Upload page.
3. Select Manual Upload button.
4. Click the Browse button.
5. Go to C:\users\username\Application Data\Local Low\Roaming\GARMIN\Devices\, click the numbered folder, then click History folder.
6. Select the appropriate file to upload (each file is named by the date of the activity).
7. Click Upload activities from file button.
 

And it worked! Here it is in case you want to see …